MTV's 'Skins': Too hot for American TV?

By
Liz Kelly

Back in 2009, when Jen reviewed the DVD release of the British teen drama "Skins," she wrote that the show, "makes 'controversial' American adolescent fare such as 'Gossip Girl' or the new '90210' look like 'Little House on the Prairie.'"

Of course that was before MTV launched its new flagship series, "Jersey Shore," a non-fictional close-up of young people (though, in this case all of legal drinking age) drinking, clubbing, having lots of sex and talking about it ad nauseum.

On Monday, MTV launches its own stateside adaptation of "Skins," which based on the preview clip below, will have parents of teens quaking in their Uggs:

It's definitely interesting to see MTV taking a chance on a scripted series in what has become a line-up awash in "reality," but is "Skins" just another chance to pack MTV's line-up with shock-and-awe TV or, like the award-winning British version, will a finely-tuned plot reveal itself as we get deeper into the season? And how will U.S. audiences react to teens in explicit and illicit situations -- even if the show has been somewhat toned down to meet U.S. TV standards?

I'm showing my age here, but MTV already had a show like this, called "Undressed." Every episode had a high school story line, a college story line and a 20-somethings story line. Lots'o'sex. Trashtastic fun.